Posts Tagged ‘mercedes e550’

It’s going to be a busy year for Mercedes-Benz. Coming off a year of record sales, the German maker hopes to keep momentum going as it launches three critical new products into the American market.

That list covers all extremes of the passenger car segment. At one end is the all-new, coupe-like sedan, the downsized CLA, while at the other we’ll see a complete remake of the flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

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But perhaps most significant will be the all-new take on the Mercedes E-Class, a model US CEO Steve Cannon accurately describes as the brand’s “bread-and-butter car.”

Though the official preview won’t take place for another month, the new 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class scheduled for introduction at the Detroit Auto Show, the maker has lifted the covers and offered up this first full look at the redesigned sedan.

The German maker, parent to Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach, among other operations, has disclosed partial financial information indicating third-quarter operating profits and sales were lower than a year ago but better than anticipated, particularly since top-line revenue dropped 18%.

Industry analysts were particularly upbeat on the news, suggesting that the solid reception for the latest-generation Mercedes E-Class sedans and coupes could trigger a much-needed turnaround. Of course they could just be peddling stock in a depressed company.

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The company said its cash flow was better than expected during the third quarter. Daimler, like other automakers, has seen its reserves and resources drained by the global recession.

The old Mercedes CLK morphs into the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe for 2010.

Keep It Simple, Stupid. It’s sound advice, especially when it comes to naming a fleet of automobiles. Over the years, we’ve watched the Mercedes-Benz line-up grow from the easily remembered C-, E- and S-Class models to a procession of increasingly complex offerings like the CLK, SLK and GLK. So, we were pleased to discover that not only was the automaker redesigning its CLK 2-door, but renaming it the E-Class Coupe.

We spent a couple days in Las Vegas driving all the latest E-Class variants, earlier this month, and you can read our review of the E350 and E550 sedans by clicking here. But the 2010 Mercedes E-Class Coupe is worth a little closer look. Actually, to be perfectly precise, make that Coupes, for the 2-door will be offered with a choice of either the 3.5-liter V-6 or the sportier 5.5-liter V-8, the same powertrain pair available for the sedan.

The new E-Class Coupe shares many of the same underpinnings of the sedan and, in fact, quite a bit of its mechanicals were originally developed for the smaller Mercedes C-Class. But despite the familial resemblance, the Coupe’s sheet metal is all its own.

There’s no such thing as a sure bet, not unless you’re the one holding all the cards. Then again, maybe that describes the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the sedan that has long dominated the midsize luxury market.

Early this year, the German maker pulled the wraps off an all-new version of the E-Class, and also dropped the surprise news that it was rechristening its 2-door CLK the E-Class Coupe. The new look received strongly favorable reviews, but when it comes to luxury cars, beauty is a lot more than skin deep, so we jumped at the chance to take both the 2- and 4-door versions of Mercedes’ midsize mainstay out for a couple days of testing. We took delivery at the Encore, the newest and, arguably the hottest, resort casino in Las Vegas, a perfect venue considering Mercedes has placed an even bigger bet on its new offering than the highest rollers the strip normally sees.

The new E-Class is more than just what automotive folks like to call a “simple refresh.” It’s a top-to-bottom remake that, in many ways represents the best Mercedes can muster, even more than the flagship S-Class. And it will take that sort of offering to not only maintain momentum in today’s abysmal automotive market – but also to fend off a growing list of competitors that includes the usual suspects, BMW, Lexus and Audi, as well as the increasingly aggressive Infiniti and the surprising Hyundai Genesis. (more…)

Mercedes plans to slash the price of its new E-Class models by 10%, despite significant new hardware -- and a complete interior and exterior redesign.

Aiming to undercut the competition, and stop a precipitous sales drop, Mercedes-Benz is taking the dramatic step of cutting prices on its all-new, 2010 E-Class sedan by about 10%, despite the addition of “significant” amounts of new content on the updated model.

The 2010 E350, with its 3.5-liter V-6, will start at $48,600, the automaker announced, during a media preview of the sedan, on Thursday. The ’09 E350 currently goes for $53,200. (The figures don’t include destination and delivery charges, which will come to $875 on the 2010 E-Class.)

The more powerful E550, meanwhile, will start at $56,300, also a cut of about 10% compared to the 2009 model. (more…)